The present disclosure relates in general to gaming devices, and more particularly, to new and different gaming machines and methods which employ Keno type games.
Keno in the United States traces back to a game brought to the United States by Chinese immigrants in the 1800's. The Chinese game used a board and a set of up to one hundred twenty characters instead of numbers. Early versions of American Keno used characters on the keno ticket, rather than the numbers used today. The American game dropped the number of characters to the more familiar eighty.
When gambling was legalized in the state of Nev. in 1931, the Chinese lottery game was referred to instead as Horse Race Keno, referring to the idea that the numbers are horses and the player wants the wagered horse to come in. Later, the name was shortened to simply keno, although the game is still referred to often as Horse Race Keno.
Keno is similar to a lottery game. The goal, like a lottery, is to choose a winning number or numbers from a plurality of numbers. In most versions of keno, the player receives a card with eighty squares numbered one to eighty, arranged in rows of ten. The player can bet on any number or numbers, up to fifteen numbers, which the player does by marking selected numbers on a keno card. A clerk records the player's bet(s).
The keno numbers also appear on eighty ping pong type balls, which can be tossed about in a clear plastic sphere or spun around in a wire bird cage. Keno numbers were at one time drawn using a manually powered keno goose. Later, a number of different lottery styles were used. Today, computers using random number generators generate the keno numbers. When a number is chosen, the number is shown electronically on keno boards throughout the casino.
A number of keno outlets and keno monitors are typically placed in various places around a casino or gaming establishment. In certain types of keno, the player must return a winning ticket to the keno ticket writer before the next game starts (usually about five minutes) or forfeit the win. Other types of keno allow the player additional time.
Many casinos offer multi-race cards, which allow the player to play the same set of numbers over multiple games. One type of multi game allows the player to wager a single set of numbers over as many as twenty games. When finished, the player must return to the keno station and cash in any wins. Stray and play tickets are also available to allow the player to play a version of keno called walk away keno. Here a player can purchase a keno ticket for an extended number of games, enjoy other activities in the casino and return at a later time or even a later date to have the tickets checked by a computer for winning games.
Another option for keno players is a combination or way ticket. A combination ticket enables the player to group different numbers, wherein each group has the same amount of numbers, creating more than one way to win. For example, a 3×3×3, nine spot ticket enables the player to select a combination of three groups of three numbers. The player can, for example, mark a first group of three numbers with the letter “A,” mark a second group with the letter “B” and mark a third group the letter “C.” This ticket enables the player to win on any winning combination of three numbers for any of the three groups. Hitting any winning combination pays as though a single ticket had been played. Essentially, the player plays three games on one card. In some keno games, playing three numbers in three games enables the player to play, or provides to the player an additional nine spot game. In one known Keno game, the player wagers on all combinations of the sets of numbers with each combination essentially being a separate wager. Thus, the player has 3 groups of 3 numbers. The player is wagering on each of the 3 groups of 3 and on each of the 3 groups of 6 formed by pairing the groups of 3, and on the group of 9 formed from all 3 of the groups of 3.
The way ticket supposedly makes keno more exciting, enabling players to wager more money on more numbers. In reality, playing a way or combination ticket offers no mathematical advantage, and no disadvantage, to the player. Some casinos offer discounted minimum bets with way tickets. If the player plays three or more ways, many casinos will discount the price per way (e.g., let the player bet $0.50 per wager instead of a usual $1 minimum). The casino however only pays back on the player's actual bet.
Known variations on keno can affect the expected return which will vary versus how many numbers are chosen. Generally, in the design of the game (selecting the pay amounts versus the number of hits for each number of picks), an effort is made for some consistency, but the nature of the math leads to some variation. It does not mathematically matter how many numbers the player chooses or if the player combines wagers. The player can choose less numbers if the player likes to win smaller amounts a little more often. The player can choose more numbers if the player does not care about the frequency of the wins and wants bigger payouts.
Providing bonuses, bonus variations and other features to existing games has increased popularity in other gaming areas, such as slot. There is a need to provide new and different Keno game implementations.